Wednesday 27 March 2024

Emma's Review: A Letter from Italy by Rose Alexander

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

1945. The tiny bundle in her arms barely stirs as she hurries out into the dark street. Remembering Villa Teresa, a thousand miles away in sun-soaked Italy, Betty thinks of the letter she had to write to stop the bombing and save Gianni. Instead it cost her everything… And she will never see her beloved again. Now, letting her little baby go will tear her apart, but she knows it is the only way to keep her child safe…

Naples, present day. With nothing but the name of crumbling palazzo Villa Teresa scribbled on the page, Sadie clutches the scrap of a letter she desperately hopes will help her find her birth mother. It’s her only clue to go on. But with the heady scent of fresh lemons carrying on the breeze, and handsome local guide Luca by her side, she knows in her bones this is the right place.

Then, lost in the local newspaper archives, the pair makes a shocking discovery about the woman Sadie believes is her mother… How she did something terrible during the war. Shattered, Sadie must ask herself if she should continue searching for a woman who did her best to disappear.

Deep down, Sadie knows she can’t give up. But what really happened in that beautiful palazzo all those years ago? What led a mother to give away her baby? And will uncovering this devastating secret destroy Sadie’s heart for good? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Friday 22 March 2024

Emma's Review: The Girl with the Red Hair by Imogen Matthews

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

1942, Amsterdam. The Nazi occupation has shattered the lives of inseparable best friends Hannie and Sonja. The canals and rainy cobbled streets they once strolled down are now patrolled by soldiers day and night, who arrest people at will and beat those who resist.

Hannie can’t stand by and watch the lives of the innocent be destroyed by the evil occupiers. At great danger to herself, she joins the underground resistance, where she meets the charming and mysterious Jan. She covers her bright red hair to avoid detection by the Nazis while distributing fake IDs. And she makes a promise to Sonja and her little sister Maya, who are Jewish – she will hide them and keep them safe, no matter the cost.

But as the German grip on the country tightens with each passing day, Sonja’s worst fears come true when members of her family are taken prisoner. With Jan by her side, Hannie goes undercover as a nurse to try to free them. But she’s devastated when she discovers they’ve been taken to a concentration camp in the isolated far east of the country. Is she too late to save them?

And when Sonja goes missing, Hannie is terrified the worst has happened – has someone betrayed her best friend? Hannie knows her most dangerous task is now ahead of her. Can Hannie save Sonja, and will she have to make the biggest sacrifice of all to bring her home?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Wednesday 20 March 2024

The Write Stuff with... Elaine Everest

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Elaine Everest to the blog to talk about the challenges when writing a series as part of the blog tour for her latest book The Teashop Girls at War

In some ways writing a standalone novel as opposed to a series is no different as the author should still aim to be as meticulous in their research and storytelling. However, once a series is agreed with our publisher.

Characters ages: 
Our characters will grow older especially if a series runs over a number of years. In my Woolworths Girls series, I have just completed a book set in 1953, that is sixteen years since Sarah, Maisie and Freda first met. In that time, they have married, had children, experienced life which can affect the way they look at life. No one stays the same. Keep these details with a file for each character.

Children 
Our girls will have families, which affects their working life and can be a problem for the author who must stay focused on their workplace. Women who are childless must seek war work which is an obstacle when I need them to be working in Woolworths or Lyons Teashops. I’m currently writing the twelfth Woolworths book and there have been a fair number of children appear, both adopted and born. As they get older, they are demanding their own storylines!

Monday 18 March 2024

Emma's Review: The Birthday Weekend by Zoe Miller

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

It was a celebration to die for . . .

What happened on holiday was supposed to stay on holiday - but that was before a body was found . . .

Socialite Lucinda Oliver planned a lavish celebration for her fortieth birthday - a weekend escape at an Irish coastal town with her sister Stella and her closest friends. The weekend was to end with a blow-out party and a special announcement, one Lucinda had been dropping hints about for weeks.

But before Lucinda could reveal her secret, she went missing. And now, six months later, her car has been found submerged in the Atlantic Ocean.

Devastated, Stella decides to gather Lucinda's friends once more, in that same coastal town - the first time they've all been together since her disappearance. But soon she starts to suspect that one of the group knows the truth about Lucinda's accident.

Which one of them is lying? Stella vows to find out, discovering that what happened to her sister links back to another birthday celebration, ten years ago...

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Saturday 9 March 2024

Emma's Review: The War Orphan by Anna Stuart

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Sixteen-year-old Tasha Ancel turns to take one last look at the imposing place that stole her freedom and her childhood. She has no idea how she continued to live when so many others did not. For the first time in months, her heart beats with hope for her future and that of the smaller children who cling to her now.

Tasha was torn from her mother’s arms by an SS guard days before the gates of Auschwitz opened. Now she only has a lock of her mother’s fiery hair. Desperate to be reunited, Tasha asks everyone she meets if they’ve seen a woman with flame-red hair. But with so many people trying to locate their loved ones in the chaotic aftermath of war finding her feels like an impossible task.

Officially an orphan, Tasha is given the chance to start a new life in the Lake District in England. She knows her mother would want her to take the opportunity but she can’t bear the thought of leaving Poland without her.

Tasha must make a heartbreaking decision: will she stay in war-ravaged Europe and cling on to the hope that the person she loves most in the world is alive, or take a long journey across the sea towards an uncertain future?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback